Beijing Guoan to step forward with new manager, head coach

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Beijing Guoan's newly appointed sports general manager Matthias Brosamer and head coach Nick Montgomery on Monday expressed confidence for the Chinese Super League (CSL) club to step forward with stability.

After being unveiled as the manager on December 27, 2025, Brosamer prioritized coach selection and aimed to establish a new tactical system on the basis of the team's profound tradition.

"Actually, we had a long list of coaches, and we were talking in our team who might be the right one to fit Beijing. I was very happy that Nick said he would do it, because I was not sure whether he would come since he never lived here. Fortunately, he did it," the German manager said at a press conference.

Brosamer added, "We found that there was always a development in teams coached by Nick. It was about how he changed the teams, developed young players, and brought people together."

As a football professional once served in Bayern Munich and Stuttgart, Brosamer knew well about the management system in European clubs. His experience of living in Beijing and Shanghai for several years also helped him to understand the football culture in China and East Asia.

"Beijing is an amazing city with great fans and stadium. I want to see the coaching staff and players come here and love the city as much as I do," Brosamer said.

On January 8, Englishman Montgomery was named as Beijing Guoan head coach, who spent most of his playing career at Sheffield United before joining Australia's Central Coast Mariners in 2012.

After retiring in 2017, Montgomery became youth team coach and then head coach of Central Coast Mariners. More recently, he served as assistant coach at Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest.

"I came to Beijing Workers' Stadium [as a player of Central Coast Mariners] in 2014. I remember the passion and energy from the fans who warmly welcomed our away team from Australia at that time. Now, I come back to Beijing as a head coach. For me, that's a very proud moment," said the 44-year-old.

Beijing Guoan finished fourth in CSL last season. In December, Guoan claimed its fifth CFA Cup title with a 3-0 victory over Henan FC.

Montgomery said: "We have some experienced players. We are trying to bring some extra players in the following spots with the Chinese players to create a squad. Ultimately, I want to improve on the squad from last season."

As the team still need time to discuss deeply on the recruitment, Montgomery said the staff were looking forward to creating an identity that the fans and everybody in Beijing can be proud of. ■